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Programs

Community Center

Community Center Overview

The Community Center Building Committee was formed to develop a proposal for the funding, construction, and operation of a multi-generational community center that will provide recreational and gathering space for all citizens of the Town of York. 

The Community Center will be designed to bring community members of all ages together for recreation, socializing, education, and connection. The Community Center would be a focal point for our town and offer amenities to address the diverse needs of all York residents, such as an indoor pool, gymnasium, indoor walking track, fitness center, the Center for Active Living, and multi-purpose program spaces.  

The 2017 Recreation Needs Assessment found that 64.2% of survey respondents felt the community would benefit ‘a lot’ or ‘very much’ from a town-supported community center.  

We have a vision for a public space where you can gather with friends or meet new ones. The Community Center will be a place to build connections. The facility will be open seven days a week. It will provide meeting spaces and indoor recreation activities year-round. An indoor pool could provide access for swimming and water safety lessons for all of our town’s residents. A larger and modern Center for Active Living would accommodate member needs and allow for increased participation and programming. A gymnasium will provide year-round space for our town’s sport teams and programs that have outgrown the current school gyms. An indoor walking track and dedicated exercise rooms would give access to all residents to prioritize their health and wellness year-round, not just weather permitting.  

Your vision for the York Community Center may include town dances, indoor fairs, educational speakers, cultural presentations or a community workshop managed by the members of the Center of Active Living with the skills and knowledge from whom the younger community members can learn. Or you may have brand new ideas that we would love to hear. The potential for the York Community Center is endless, and we strongly encourage open dialogue and continued community involvement to ensure that the final recommended plan reflects the collective vision of York’s residents.  

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Community Center Building Committee Public Comment

Please complete this form to have your comment read during the Community Center Building Committee public comment portion of the committee meetings.

Progress Updates

Current Community Center Developments

The Community Center Building Committee began meeting regularly on February 25, 2025; you can review our past minutes here. Currently we meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month at 6:00 pm at York Parks and Recreation (Grant House: 200 US Route 1); additional meetings may be added as necessary. You can verify our current meeting schedule on the York Town Website. Our meetings are open to the public, and every meeting begins with public comments, and we encourage you to join us.  

We have begun our work by reviewing the Feasibility Study’s final report. 

The feasibility study looked at 12 different sites and narrowed it down to three (3) viable spaces – Shorts Sands Road, 32 Long Sands, and Village Elementary School.  

The Short Sands Road location was ruled out due to the fiscal restraints caused by the site being in the floodplain.  

We have looked into the remaining two (2) viable spaces and have done site walks at both locations – 32 Long Sands Road and Village Elementary School. The YSC Building Reorganization Planning Advisory Committee has recently shared that Coastal Ridge Elementary School may also be a possible site location, and we have completed a site walk there as well.  

Our mission is to take the documents from the Feasibility Study’s final report and our findings and put together a final proposal with building location, plans and usage, construction timeline and budget, operational costs, revenue generation potential and both public and private funding options.  

As part of the Town's capital planning process, a budget of $50,000 was proposed for the Community Center Building Committee for professional services.  These services may include, but are not limited to architectural, engineering, and geotechnical. This additional professional support is necessary to present the most diligent and thorough plan to voters. This budget received a 5-0 preference vote from the Selectboard and a 7-0 preference vote from the Budget Committee.  The residents of York will be able to vote on this budget in Article 50 of the May 2025 Town of York Budget Referendum.

This collaborative approach will ensure that all aspects of the project will be thoroughly examined and that the final proposal aligns with the community’s needs, desires and expectations. 

The Community Center Background/History

The Town of York has a year-round population of roughly 14,000 and occupies approximately 55 square miles of land.  

In November 2022, the Town of York approved a new Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan serves as a usable “blueprint” for the future growth and development of the town.  A copy of the Comprehensive Plan can be found here.  One of the needs identified in the plan was a Community Center feasibility study.  

In 2023 the community voted to approve $100,000 for the Town to conduct a Community Center Feasibility Study. The Town created an ad-hoc committee to solicit proposals for the feasibility study and work with firms to carry out the feasibility process.  This committee was made of representatives from Town of York entities: the Selectboard, the Town Manager’s Office, the Parks and Recreation Board, the Parks and Recreation Department, the School Department, the Center for Active Living, the Planning Department, the Budget Committee, the Public Library and various local youth programs.  

The Ad-hoc Community Center Feasibility Study Committee along with Consultants BH+A and Ballard King presented a final feasibility study presentation and recommendation to the Selectboard in October of 2024.   

After the feasibility study presentation, the Selectboard proposed and voted to create a Community Center Building Committee to refine the plan and bring it back to the Selectboard in order to put it on the ballot. 

January 2025 - Formation of The Community Center Building Committee 

The Community Center Building committee members were selected by the Selectboard for their varied expertise. The members include: 

  • Bill Olsen, Chair 
  • David Cohen 
  • Richard Raimondi 
  • Greg Fyfe 
  • Brianna Scott 
  • Greg Schwab 
  • Jacquelyn Crafts, alternate 
  • Vacant, alternate 
  • Budget Committee representative - Adam Gould 
  • Ex-officio (non-voting) member of the Selectboard - Robert Palmer 

  • Ex-officio (non-voting) staff member - Peter Murray 

December 2024 - Community Center Feasibility Study Final Report  

November 2024 - Election Day Tabling 

Members of the Ad-Hoc Community Center Feasibility Study Committee with Parks and Recreation Staff conducted community outreach at the recent election day voting center at York High School.  Materials that were shared are also shared here on this website. 

  • Community Center Feasibility Study Update 
  • Sample Community Center Schedule 
  • Intergenerational Community Center Info Sheet 
  • Community Center Selectboard Final Presentation 

October 21, 2024 - Feasibility Study Presentation

 The Community Center Feasibility Study Committee along with BH+A provided the Selectboard with a final report on October 21, 2024.  The presentation and final report are linked below as well as the link to the Town Hall Streams video of the entire meeting.   

September 2024 - Community Input Meetings 

Community Center Feasibility Study Committee and BH+A Architects hosted community input meetings on September 28th and 30th.  All members of the York Community were invited to attend in order to give their input.  A short presentation of the work that has been done so far was provided as well as time for community members to ask questions. Community members present were then given the opportunity to vote for their top three community center options.  The goal was to listen to the community and closely align the committee's recommendation with the wants and needs of the community. 

June 2024 - Feasibility Study Focus Group Schedule 

  • Monday, June 10, 2024 
  • 2:00 p.m. Parks and Recreation/Center for Active Living Staff - Center for Active Living 
  • 4:00 p.m. Community Center Committee - Center for Active Living 
  • 5:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. Parks and Recreation Board/Senior Advisory Board - Center for Active Living 
  • Tuesday, June 11, 2024 
  • 3:00 p.m. Seniors - Center for Active Living 
  • 5:30 p.m. Youth and Sport Related Groups - Center for Active Living 
  • Wednesday, June 12, 2024 
  • 3:00 p.m. School Administration 
  • 5:30 p.m. After School Programs, Yorkwise, and other Youth/Educational Programs - Center for Active Living 

March 2024 - Feasibility Study Gets Go Ahead 

The York Parks and Recreation Department in conjunction with community partners from the Selectboard, Public Schools, Center for Active Living, Youth Sports Organizations, Parks and Recreation Board, Budget Committee, Planning Department and Public Library invited interested parties to submit a proposal to provide a feasibility study to build a community center in the town of York.   

 

On March 11, 2024 the Selectboard voted to direct the Parks and Recreation Department to start contract negotiations with BH+A to conduct the Community Center Feasibility Study.

 

December 2017- Community Center Needs Assessment

 In 2017 the Town hired Robert J. Barcelona, Ph. D. from the Department of Recreation Management and Policy at the University of New Hampshire to conduct a Recreation Needs Assessment and Planning Report.